Author: News-Press NOW

Charles Christian

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — An event organized by AR Workshop and the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce shines a light on local women-owned businesses in St. Joseph.

The “She Means Business” Shop Crawl will be held on Friday, October 24, from 5:00 to 9:30 p.m. Its mission is to raise awareness of small businesses in town owned by women, highlighting October as National Women’s Small Business Month.

Amy Brooks, owner of AR Workshop, said she is happy to take the mantle of her predecessor at AR Workshop in helping to organize this event.

“We partner with the Chamber and invite a few of the women-owned businesses in St. Joe to take part,” Brooks said. “We really want to highlight the gals who are in charge of these businesses.”

Participants can purchase passports to the event for $30 each. Then, each participating business on the tour will provide special gifts to participants and discounts on purchases in the stores. Participants will also receive a treat bag and the opportunity to win a grand prize in a drawing that will be held the following week.

Trina Clark, a participating business owner in this year’s crawl, said this event allows each store to demonstrate its individual contributions to the community, while also reminding the public of the diversity of businesses in the area.

 “We each have a unique take on things,” Clark said. “We’re all going to be doing a lot of special, fun things for participants in the shop crawl. Our overall message is to ‘shop local,’ and to realize that we have unique opportunities right here in our community.”

This year’s participating Show Crawl women-owned businesses are AR Workshop, Polished Pretty by Em, Hazel’s Coffee Company, Merle Norman Cosmetics, Juniper Lane, Garden Gate, Jamie’s Secret Garden, Narrative Home and Solace Market.

Passports for the “She Means Business” Shop Crawl can be purchased by going to www.arworkshop.com.

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Carter Ostermiller

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — St. Joseph residents are welcome to attend an evening of literary haunting at the Downtown St. Joseph Public Library.

The Haunted Library will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Oct 25.

Admission is $5 per person, and the night will offer a horror spin on classic stories. 

The event is recommended for adults and teens, but children can be accompanied by an adult; no chicken exits are available.

Restrooms and elevators will be unavailable for the event.

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Charles Christian

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — While people are more aware of skincare in the sunshine of summer, autumn brings its own challenges for your skin.

Ultraviolet rays from the sun are still a factor as the temperature drops. The American Academy of Dermatology says the combination of falling outdoor temperatures, rising indoor temperatures and dry air can disrupt the skin’s barrier in the fall and into the winter.

Natalie Duncan, a physician’s assistant at Epiphany Dermatology in St. Joseph, said as fall begins, it’s common to see more flare-ups of chronic skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis and overly dry skin.

“One of the things we really try to encourage people to do is to emphasize maintaining of the skin barrier,” Duncan said. “What that looks like for most people is ‘moisturizer, moisturizer, moisturizer.’”

Duncan recommends a daily skin routine that shows awareness of not only the cooler and drier conditions, but also remains aware of the importance of sun protection.

“UV rays don’t go away in the fall,” she said. “Sunscreen or lotions with a high SPF protection are still recommended, even in the fall. This is especially true if you plan to be outside.”

The American Academy of Dermatology’s website suggests a “survival kit” for when the seasons change. This kit should include a facial cleanser, a body cleanser, a body moisturizer, skin rejuvenating products, and sunscreen. The site adds that year-round sunscreen is recommended for all areas not covered by clothing.

Duncan added that if a normal skin routine or consistent moisturizer is not working on key areas, or if your skin shows signs of ongoing flare-ups or bouts of eczema, a trip to the dermatologist can usually provide a relatively quick solution.

“Many times the skin just needs extra help,” Duncan said, “and prescription medications can often work quickly on problem areas.”

For daily moisturizers, dermatologists recommend gentle, fragrance-free products. For more recommendations, contact your local dermatologist.

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Carter Ostermiller

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce’s Shop St. Joseph holiday program is inching closer as the winter months approach.

The program starts Wednesday, Nov. 12, and ends Monday, Dec. 15.

Participating retailers are giving one free Shop St. Joseph ticket to shoppers and then another ticket for every $10 spent for a chance to win prizes.

Participation is available for traditional shops, restaurants and service providers; however, Chamber members receive a discount on the cost.

There is a $10,000 grand prize and a $2,500 prize. Shop Small Business Bonus drawing will be on Dec. 17. Smaller second-chance prizes will be available.

Businesses looking to participate in the program will need to pay a small fee, but the cost differs depending on business size.

Chamber members who own his or her own business and have only one additional employee will need to pay $100; two to five employees, $200; six or more employees, $250.

Businesses that aren’t Chamber members and have five or fewer employees will pay $300. If a non-Chamber member has six or more employees, the price is $375.

Applications to register for all business types can be found at saintjoseph.com.

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News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Elementary students at St. Joseph Christian School tapped into their musical talents to honor the nation’s upcoming semi-quincentennial anniversary.

Students in first through sixth grades released a two-and-a-half-minute music video called “This Land is Your Land” at a recent Faith Promise event. The video also coincides with SJCS’s annual theme of “Let Freedom Ring.”

The video was a collaboration with the Development Office and the elementary music department, led by Sharon Waters. It was produced by longtime SJCS parent and former teacher, Steve Juhl.

Faith Promise events at SJCS are used to provide financial assistance for families and to meet other financial needs not covered by tuition.

The focus of current fundraising at the school is to help cover the need-based tuition assistance for over 115 qualifying families.

Additionally, SJCS is nearing completion of its over $10 million gymnasium and classroom construction, some of which is shown in the music video.

The school has reached nearly 99% of the capital campaign goal for its construction project.

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News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The Friends of the Animal Shelter of St. Joseph (FOTAS) announced it received a large check thanks to the help of community members.

In a Facebook post shared on Friday, FOTAS shared that over $20,000 was raised through a “Raise a Pint for Pets” event held by Purina with River Bluff Brewing.

The group expressed thanks to community members who donated, shared posts, volunteered time, adopted animals and helped in any way possible with the event and the animal shelter.

“This community is something we are incredibly proud to be a part of. Your donations help so many animals that have been lost, forgotten, or abandoned. We cannot do this alone and MAN are we grateful to have you on our team,” the post said.

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Kyle Schmidt

ST. JOSEPH, Mo (News-Press NOW) — The St. Joseph Police department teamed up with the Missouri State Highway Patrol to conduct a joint operation leading to multiple arrests.

The roughly six-hour operation took place on Oct. 4. Of the 57 traffic stops, 49 citations, 39 warnings and three DWI arrests were made during the operation.

“What we want to do is we want to keep the streets safe obviously and with a helicopter added in as a resource it’s good because it allows us to keep an eye on the actual suspects from the air,” said St. Joseph Police Department Sergeant Richard McGregory. “And we can send less cars that are driving at higher rates of speed after the car. We can slow down, be more efficient in our apprehension and be more precise too.”

Sgt. McGregory said they have conducted similar operations in the past. These operations allow them to pursue vehicles not cooperating, and having support from highway patrol through the air helps make this capture safer.

“They’re pilots are great, they’re spot on, I think they have the best in the business right now,” he said. “I think every time we utilize them, it’s always a success.”

Thermal and night vision helped contribute to the pursuit. The operation covered the whole city and did not target specific areas. Sgt. McGregory said they will continue to be transparent with the community.

“We are always in discussions on how we can do our job more efficiently, keep the streets safer, keep the community safe,” Sgt. McGregory said. “We’re always in discussions of that but some of those discussions are something that we don’t want to let out to the public because we obviously want to always have the upper hand in these situations.”

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Carter Ostermiller

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and The Human Bean is once again raising money to benefit breast cancer patients through the Mosaic Life Care Auxiliary Breast Cancer Patient Assistance Fund.

The 10th annual event took place from 5 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 17, at The Human Bean, located at 4414 Commons Drive in St. Joseph.

The Human Bean’s national fundraiser, Coffee For a Cure, donates to local organizations that provide treatment for those battling breast cancer.

Just by making a purchase, people can help. The Human Bean will donate 100% percent of sales and tips to the Mosaic Life Care Auxiliary Breast Cancer Patient Assistance Fund, and Mosaic Life Care Auxiliary will provide a 100% match.

Cars were lined up to start their morning off with a cup of coffee and to help support the cause. Volunteers from Mosaic came to offer support with a bag of awareness bracelets, pins, and other awareness-related items.

Carol Walter, a Mosaic Life Care Auxiliary member and retired nurse, came out to support for her first time today.

“We raise funds for the breast cancer support. We give. I’m on the committee that gives out those funds. And so we hear stories every day of women who need assistance,” said Walter.

Walter is not the only one; for some people, like Brianna Cluck, this was personal.

“We actually just lost my mom September third to breast cancer. She was a big part of Mosaic Life Care. A lot of people knew her. She was well known for her laugh. And, today, we are here to support other women in her name,” said Cluck.

Coffee for a Cure has been around for 20 years nationally and has accumulated over $4.2 million dollars nationwide.

According to the American Cancer Society, for 2025, there are about 316,950 new cases of invasive breast cancer that will be diagnosed in women.

Director of the Cancer Center, Rony Abou-Jawde, stressed why it’s important to get checked out for breast cancer.

“Don’t be scared about the procedure. Don’t be scared about the actual I don’t want to know if I have cancer kind of thing, because if, God forbid, somebody is diagnosed with cancer at an earlier stage, this is highly curable. So that’s why screening will save lives and mammograms will save lives,” said Abou-Jawde.

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Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Pedestrians taking their next stroll through Civic Center Park will see many of the deteriorating sidewalks replaced with new and improved walking surfaces.

Crews with Auxier Construction Company are underway on the latest stage of a $466,384 sidewalk and landing area improvement project for Civic Center Park, a project funded by American Rescue Plan Act funds.

The project includes the complete replacement of both north and south sidewalks and the landing area, a large concrete section located close to the south City Hall entrance. Several sidewalks will be closed during the construction process.

The project also includes drain inlet repairs along with curb replacement. New landing concrete will be approximately eight inches thick to support heavier equipment if needed.

Phase one of sidewalk repairs took place earlier this year by the large fountain and other monuments.

The project with Auxier Construction Company was previously approved by City Councilmembers last September.

Construction crews replace the large concrete sidewalk at Civic Center Park and City Hall on Thursday in St. Joseph.

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Praji Ghosh

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) —  The City of St. Joseph just got a boost to make walking and biking a little safer. Thanks to more than $250,000 in federal funding, a new initiative called Safe Crossings of St. Joseph is set to begin taking shape. 

The money comes from the Transportation Alternatives Program, run through MoDOT, which supports projects designed to improve pedestrian and bicycle facilities.  

In St. Joseph’s case, the focus is on making it easier—and safer—for people on foot to get across busy streets.  

Transportation Planner Max Scheiber explained, the project will begin with upgrades at Krug Park and Hyde Park. The plan includes installing rectangular rapid flashing beacons, as well as a pedestrian hybrid beacon at Spring Garden Road. These devices are designed to catch drivers’ attention when someone needs to cross.  

“It will basically be a button that pedestrians can press to alert drivers that they’re trying to cross the road. Right now, the crossing system is based on a wire; we are planning to change that with a button,” Scheiber said.  

Before any construction can begin, though, there are several steps left. The city needs to finalize a contract with MoDOT, get approval from the city council and then put the project out for bid. Scheiber said those conversations with council members are critical for moving the funding forward and officially launching the effort.  

This push for safer crossings ties into a bigger conversation happening citywide. Earlier this year, transportation planner Jackson Lohman helped organize an open house for the 2050 Metropolitan Transportation Plan. Residents made it clear they want more done to protect pedestrians.  

“I think it’s significant because it initiates an effort to make foot travel safer in the St. Joseph community, and there’s a lot of areas of concern, specifically with pedestrian traffic that are highly trafficked via foot,” Lohman said.  

Lohman pointed out Krug Park as one area where changes will be especially visible. Alongside the beacon upgrades, the park is slated for $12.8 million in renovations. Plans call for adding new sidewalks that better connect the park to surrounding streets and a splash pad where the pool once stood. 

The hope is that by layering these improvements—better crossings, safer walkways and updated park facilities—residents will feel more confident walking and enjoying community spaces.  

“We hope that these systems really produce results in terms of getting drivers who yield for people crossing the street so that we can implement more of them for the people in the city,” Lohman said.  

Lohman admitted the process won’t be without challenges. Changing driver behavior is never easy, and the city may face hurdles in getting motorists to consistently yield. He said the department is committed to pairing the new infrastructure with education efforts to help smooth the transition. 

After speaking with the St. Joseph Police Department, Sgt. Patrick Zeamer said, once the project is approved, its main focus will be on enforcing the rules around those new crossings — and making sure the community understands how to use them safely.  

“If people are violating those areas, it would be stopping them, giving warnings or ticketing for those violations,” said Zeamer. “If an accident was to occur, there will be charges imposed on the individual that could be considered criminal.” 

Zeamer also reminded folks to be extra cautious in those areas, especially while work is still underway. 

He said people should avoid crossing behind parked cars and try to stay as visible as possible — that means avoiding dark clothes and staying out of those zones at night whenever possible.  

“The cars are getting bigger and they’re going faster and doing more damage per se, to the pedestrian, causing more injuries. So we are just trying to make it safer for the general public and giving them more areas to cross as safely as possible,” Zeamer said.  

Zeamer said the intersections involved in the city-wide project are considered pretty dangerous and high-risk.

The grant will add a new Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB) at St. Joseph Avenue at Krug Park/Parkway Trail and at Hyde Park Avenue near Hyde Park and Benton High School. It will also replace an outdated pedestrian signal with a Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon (PHB) at Spring Garden Middle School.

The project is expected to be completed in the spring of 2026.

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